It’s been about 24 hours now that I’ve had my iPod, and I’m pleased as punch with it. Despite putting a lot of effort into getting a Windows-specific unit, I wound up with a 10 gigabyte iPod for the Mac; because of that, I have put some serious web time in over the past day, looking for information that would help me understand exactly how this iPod is different from the one that I wanted, and what I’d have to do to easily use it. All the information’s out there, and now I figure it’s my turn to sum up how to use your Mac iPod with your Windows machine.

The first decision that I had to make was whether or not I wanted to reformat my iPod to be a true Windows machine. (One difference between the Mac and Windows units is the format of the hard disk; for Mac ones, the hard disk has an HFS volume on it, whereas there’s a FAT32 volume on the Windows machines.) In general, without additional software, when you plug your Mac iPod into your Windows computer it won’t show up as a hard disk, because Windows doesn’t know how to read HFS volumes. That means that you either have to install special software to let your PC see your iPod’s drive, or you need to reformat the iPod to be a native Windows unit.

Reading a Mac iPod on a PC (or: How I Love XPlay)

Initially, I chose to do the former, and I bought MediaFour’s XPlay. (Some of you may remember XPlay from its former incarnation as XPod; the name was a little too close for Apple’s comfort, though, and MediaPlay renamed it.) XPlay is a great piece of software that allows you both to manage the music files on your iPod and to recognize the Mac-based formatting on your PC, so it was the perfect first solution. It worked well for me for the first few hours, but unfortunately, I then ran into a few freezes when copying files to my iPod. After I wasn’t able to trace them to anything else, I decided to try reformatting it for Windows to see if things improved.

Changing your Mac iPod to Windows format

Changing a Mac iPod into a Windows-format unit is a simple process. You should note, though, that doing so involves completely reformatting the hard disk inside the player. That means that you will lose all your songs and playlists if you don’t back them up beforehand.

Now, onto the reformat. First, you need to download the latest software update, making sure to get the Windows download. Then, with no other iPod-related software installed, plug your iPod into your machine. (That means that if you have XPlay or MusicMatch Jukebox installed, uninstall ‘em.) Run the file that you downloaded, and it’ll install the updater software to your computer. You may have to reboot after this, and then, you’ll find the iPod Updater under your Programs menu. Run it and follow the directions, and at the end of the process, you’ll have yourself a Windows-format iPod. (You can verify this at the bottom of the About window on your unit.) That’s all there is to it.

I’ll say here that reformatting my iPod solved my freezing problems, and immediately afterward, I copied 3 gigabytes of music over to it without a hiccup.

Managing your Music

The retail Windows iPod package comes with a copy of MusicMatch Jukebox that’s been specifically enabled to work with the iPod. If you buy a Mac unit, you won’t get this software, which means that you either have to find a copy of it or you have to find a replacement for it.

In terms of finding a copy, there is good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that the software is freely available online from MusicMatch themselves; there are even rumors that version 7.5 (the latest) supports the iPod. The bad news is that the retail Windows iPod comes with a license key for MusicMatch Jukebox, and without it, you’re going to be inundated with nags to register when you run the software. (Alas, finding a key probably isn’t the hardest thing in the world to do, so the bad news is tempered a bit.)

In terms of finding an alternative, the aforementioned XPlay provides a fantastic interface to your iPod music collection. Whereas MusicMatch does it all — rips CDs, tags the files, maintains the MP3 library on your hard disk — XPlay is more minimalist, providing a Windows Explorer-integrated interface to your iPod and helping you create your playlists. It’s a well-written application, and within about an hour of starting to use it, I had uninstalled MusicMatch Jukebox from my machine.

Cleaning up your MP3s

I have found that the iPod makes me keep my MP3 collection clean. The entire navigation system is based on the contents of the ID3 tags of the files, and that means that those tags have to contain valid information. When I look at the iPod index of artists, I’m seeing a list of all the artists that are listed in the ID3 tags of the files; if that Blues Traveler song from the VH1 Storytellers album has “Various Artists” listed in its artist tag, then I’m not going to find it all that easily.

What does that mean? You should make sure you have some good software to manage your MP3 files. If you find MusicMatch Jukebox to your liking, use it; it’s intended for just this purpose, and since it also talks to the iPod, it may just be the right option for some people. Me, I find that I like ripping my CDs with Windows Media Player, and then maintain the ID3 tags with either WMP’s Media Library feature or MP3 Tag Tools.

Keeping Up

Lastly, I always find that it’s worth it to have a bookmark or two around that help me keep up with the latest and greatest news about my gadgets. In this vein, there’s iPodlounge, a community site that seems to have a good handle on downloads and information for iPods. There’s even a Windows-specific download page with all the latest versions of software, and the requisite forums that contain a bunch of good technical support tidbits.

That’s really it. If there is any other information that becomes relevant to using Mac iPods with PCs, I’ll add it on here.

Comments

Thanks for this tidbit. Apple’s own site contradicts your “real world” report, and it’s good to hear from someone who’s actually tried the “reverse switch”:

Your piece was very interesting - could I perhpas ask a beginners question?
On a very basic level I wonder if you could tell me what requirements your PC had to have to run the Ipod - I am not familiar with the ‘fire wire’ for example; does it require a special sound card or other hardware to be installed on the PC?

Nick: you need a firewire card for your pc, that`s right! When it comes to general computer specs i would say a computer running windows 2000 or newer without problems should have no problems using an ipod.

I have the NEW iPod (30Gb), and I can’t get MusicMatch to put anything other than playlist names onto it - the tracks simply do not download. There isn’t the iPod 2 thing on their site yet…so I guess my problems are due to using the old iPod plug-in…but what do I do until they decide to get on with putting the new one online?

Any good experience concerning the usage of XPLAY (including a Mac Opener, noone knows which). When stuffing the tracks on the xplay-music folder my friends win Computer says that the windows explorer won’t life anymore and shuts down.
Any experience with the musicmatch IPod-plugin? Where to find it?

hi. i will be purchasing an ipod pretty soon and i was wondering if i have to buy the USB 2.0 and firewall cable for the windows format. since the apple site does not show what is included in the paackage, i wanted to know if i have to buy other accessories for the ipod to function under the windows format. in addition, instead of using MUSIC MATCH for Windows what other music players can i use? Thankyou for your cooperation.

i want to buy the windows compatible version of the i pod 10 GB with the remote please can any one consult me if it is a good buy, because when i saw it and used it for a while i loved it.the other thing is that the LCD screen isnt coloured and wondered if u know when they’ll release a newer version.

You are truly a genius.. I had bought the last of the old Version 2 20gig ipod and they only had Mac version left.. even the reseller could not help in reformatting and the parent comapny here in NZ while helpful was a little vague.. imagine my absolute bitchin delight when thru google found your page.. after 2 days of frigging round and numerous phone calls I got it done in 2 mins!! Thanx dude.. well done!!

I heard that the ipod have this “no stealing music” rule; or anit-piracy and im concerned becasue i usually download my music from Kazaa.com and i was wondering if the music will be able to download into the ipod

I heard that the ipod have this “no stealing music” rule; or anit-piracy and im concerned becasue i usually download my music from Kazaa.com and i was wondering if the music will be able to download into the ipod?

Kwenton.. go to the apple.com support tab then click downloads.. in the “search for” look for windows updater 1.2.6.. this is for the previous model firewire port ipods.. the version 2.01 only updates iPod with the docking station..

I’ve finally gotten my iPod up and working, but there are still two problems:

1. My music library takes way too long to load (yes, I have firewire and my computer is less than 2 years old). Everytime I sync the iPod with my computer, it removes EVERY song from the iPod and then replaces each song, taking over an hour.

2. When the songs finally DO get onto the iPod, it only lists them by song name. There are no artists or albums at all on my iPod, although they are in the track tags and on MusicMatch.

I have the old 5G mac ipod, but i can’t get it to work on my WinXP. yes I have firewire, card/cable
I can see the ipod in explorer as external drive, BUT can’t update or convert to PC ipod. I used latest 1.2.6 windows installer, It says “can’t mount ipod” help needed. thx

I have the old 5G mac ipod, but i can’t get it to work on my WinXP. yes I have firewire, card/cable
I can see the ipod in explorer as external drive, BUT can’t update or convert to PC ipod. I used latest 1.2.6 windows installer, It says “can’t mount ipod” help needed. thx

I’m trying to buy an 20Gb ipod(mac) (version 2 I think) to run on a windows PC (for the 120 I’m gonna give, I don’t have the windows one).
Is it safe to bu, I mean can it really work allright in windows/linux as long as I reformat-it ?
Thanks for any help/sugestion you’re able to give.

I got the 1st generation 10GB Ipod (original style) which is released only for MAC. So following the directions above, the updator software doesn’t see the ipod. This is happening even though the ipod is connected to the firewire adapter and the ipod is turned on. I am running Win2000 on my laptop, and I tried both updater 1.2.6 and 1.3 from the site. Any ideas?

Thanks for the info, exactly what I was looking for ! One question, once the iPod is foratted for the PC, can it still be read/interacted with iTunes ? I am primarily a Mac user, but I use a PC at work, and need a storage device to carry files back and forth. So I wanted to try reformatting to bridge that gap. Is this the right solution for me ?

I heard that the ipod has this no music stealing  rule; or anti-piracy and im concerned because i usually download my music from Kazaa.com and i was wondering if the music will be able to download into the ipod?

i recently was trying to convert my mac ipod over to windows and somehow something got messed up. i plug it into the computer resotre it instead of updating, and it says to take it out and plug into a power soucre so the firmware flash can run…..when i do this i just get a fold icon with an exlamation point and i just keeps restarting itself….what do i do?

I just bought a Windows formatted Ipod but I am shocked to find out it won’t work with my computer which only has Windows ME. The pop up window from the ipod install disk tells me I need to upgrade to Windows XP; do I really need to do this - can’t I just run it on ME somehow? XP is not cheap!

I just bought an Ipod off ebay and it does not work! The guy said it was for windows but it is for Mac. I tried following the instructions on the page but it still doesnt work! It just shows that the Ipod isnt connected. Any help?

Ok, you IPOD enthusiasts. Here is my own experience with IPODS for Windows. But first, thanks to this site where I started reading about using an Ipod for Windows. OK, in the Apple site, there are DOWNLOADS for Windows to get your IPOD working: Ver 2.1 for all Windows except Win 98SE and Win ME. 1)Download the software updater 1st. 2) Get iTUNES for Windows. 3) Connect your IPOD thru USB or firewire. 4) The IPOD program will “see” your IPOD and ask if you want it “updated” or “restored”. 4)Careful, “restore” erases and reformats your IPOD. 5) Load iTUNES; it will automatically transfer your songs to the IPOD. I used USB 1.1 and it still transfered my songs to the IPOD within minutes; USB 2.0 will be faster. CAREFUL, not all USB or firewire cards work! ENJOY!

I got myself an Ipod thats formatted for Mac, I can’t seem to reformat it for windows. Its like one of the older Ipods I believe? Can the 1st generation reformat? I went to apple.com downloaded the updates, it gave me the option to wipe it or whatever, however I could not select that option, said something about firmware and update not compatible.

“Thanks for the info, exactly what I was looking for ! One question, once the iPod is foratted for the PC, can it still be read/interacted with iTunes ? I am primarily a Mac user, but I use a PC at work, and need a storage device to carry files back and forth. So I wanted to try reformatting to bridge that gap. Is this the right solution for me ?”

I am in the same situation, I use a mac mainly at home, but uni uses IBMs, so I would like to if anyone has an answer to this too?

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Who am I?

I'm Jason Levine, and have been keeping this site since the waning days of 1999. I'm a physician, a husband, a father, a scientist, an uncle, a photographer, and an unapologetic geek. I currently live in Washington, DC, and wear the two hats of a bioinformatics researcher and a clinical pediatric hematologist and oncologist.